This invention relates to a microscope stage.
The schematic construction of a stage of the conventional microscope includes a lower stage fixed on the microscope main body, an upper stage directly driven and guided with respect to the lower stage by a mechanism such as a ball guide, roller guide, shaft guide and a stage clip holding member directly driven and guided with respect to the upper stage in a direction perpendicular to the directly driving and guiding direction by the same mechanism. By causing a sample holder (stage clip) fixed on the stage clip holding member to be guided in two directions, a sample held by the sample holder can be moved on a plane relatively to the lower stage.
Further, in a driving system, an operating handle is disposed on one side of two coaxial shafts which are rotatably mounted on the upper stage and a transmission mechanism such as a rack and pinion, wire and pulley or belt and pulley is disposed on the opposite side. When the operating handle is operated to be rotated, the upper stage and stage clip holding member are directly driven and guided by the transmission mechanism and the relative movement in the plane of the sample holder with respect to the lower stage can be attained.
In Jap. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 8-304708, a microscope stage which is featured in that the upper stage is driven by use of a wire is disclosed. In this construction, one end of the wire is attached to a pin planted on the lower stage and the other end thereof is attached to one end of an extension spring. The other end of the extension spring is attached to a pin which is planted on the lower stage and different from the former pin. A wire is wound by one turn on a pulley rotatably mounted on the upper stage. If the pulley is rotated by use of the handle, it is rotated by extension force of the extension spring without causing any slip with respect to the wire and the pulley is moved in a Y direction with the wire wound thereon. Since the pulley is attached to the upper stage, the upper stage also moves in the Y direction according to the movement of the pulley.
In recent years, as importance is attached to the operability of the microscope, the importance of the positions of an operating portion (for example, focusing handle) of the microscope arranged around the stage and a sample moving/operating handle (stage operating handle) which is frequently used at the time of microscopic examination is increased.
However, in the above-described conventional wire-driven stage, since the pulley disposed coaxially with the stage operating handle must be arranged to be set in contact with the wire rope stretched along the stage movement direction, there occurs a problem that the degree of freedom of the arrangement of the stage operating handle is limited.
Further, the requirements of the users for the recent microscope stage are diversified, and particularly, it is desired to rotate the stage operating handle which the user most often operates with slight and less force and make the variable range thereof wide. On the other hand, as the basic performance of the stage, the precision of stoppage for stopping a sample at a target position is desired. That is, it is important that the position of the sample is not changed when the operator operates the handle to position the sample and releases his hold.
An object of this invention is to provide a microscope stage which has a simple construction using inexpensive members and in which attainment of high alignment precision, preferable movement follow-up property, operation feeling as the microscope stage and enhancement of the degree of freedom of the arrangement of the stage operating handle can be made compatible.
A microscope stage of this invention comprises an upper stage, a handle shaft rotatably supported on the upper stage, a pulley rotatably supported on the upper stage in a position different from the handle shaft, a lower stage directly driven and guided with respect to the upper stage and a transmission member for interlocking the handle shaft, pulley and lower stage.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.